First session spokesman calls for less pressure on students

The spokesman for the national political advisory body on Friday called for reducing pupils' academic burdens and discarding the belief of "study for tests".

"Our children do their daily homework to 9, 10 or even 11 pm. When do they have time to have fun and enjoy their childhood?" Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the first session of 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, questioned.

Government should optimize administration, continue education reform, reduce the importance of testing and carry out education for all-around development, Wang said at a news conference.

It is also important to establish scientific evaluation systems and abandon the cliched belief that test scores and university acceptance rates are the only criterion to evaluate a school, he said.

Government should reinforce administration for after-school training programs. Those programs should not give additional homework for tests or add more pressure for parents, he said.

It is necessary to create a positive environment to reduce pressure for students, parents and teachers, Wang said.

Alleviating the burden for pupils is a challenge and requires society to make efforts, he added.

"It is a must-do assignment, for children to study happily and grow in a healthy manner...and sleep an additional half-hour or an hour," Wang said.